HECTIC APRIL 2010 - 20 mins a day performance

This month I was doing three projects at the same time Actually four, since the Degree show had more than one part:

I've just spent a number of hours editing a short version of the video slide-show I made doing the project I called 20 mins a day.

This project originated during my visit to New York in 2011 when I attended the preview of the performance by Marina Abramovics called The Artist is Present.

I had the chance to sit with Marina for 20 minutes, and found this a profound and moving experience, one which I would have liked to have been much longer. (I could have sat as long as I wished, but I was acutely aware of the growing queue behind me, and so dragged myself away.)

(This image was taken by Marco Anelli who photographed each person who sat with Marina over the 72 days. The portraits are shown online)

I was hugely impressed by the idea that Marina was going to sit there in silence with whoever was willing to sit with her for the next 72 days - March 14 to May 31, only missing the days when MOMA would not be open.

I immediately came up with an idea for doing my own piece to accompany her. I would sit for 20 a day in silence and think of her and how much longer she was sitting than I was.

So beginning at the opening time of the museum (taking into account the time difference), each day I sat for the consecutive 20 minutes, with the camera set to take a picture every minute.
The video below shows what happened.

You can see me wherever I happened to be at the appointed time - sometimes at home, sometimes in college. I even sat in a cafe, near the park, and in Tallaght village.

One thing s obvious in many of the clips - I was not sitting as motionless as I thought I was.
The other thing that I noticed is the different clothes I wore - slight differences in some cases. And nothing very 'fashionable'.

Finally, there is the observation that I must have been out of my mind to add this additional stress to all the other pre-exam stresses I was already loading on myself - the only excuse I offer is that it was a joy to do, and that 20 minutes of doing nothing was possibly of more value than I realized at the time.